The ceiling features 10 hand-painted roundels, once thought to be by Angelica Kauffman but more likely to be the work of her husband, the Italian artist Antonio Zucchi. They tell the story of the mythological musical contest between Apollo, god of music, and the satyr Marsyas. The contest was judged by Minerva and the 9 muses, each depicted in the outer circle around the central scene of Apollo and Marsyas. Minerva declared Apollo the winner.

The four ceiling roundels in each corner of the room depict personifications of the ‘four continents’, illustrating the 18th century European belief that the world was divided into four quadrants. The continents depicted are Africa, Asia, America and Europe, together suggesting the universality of music. Each representation uses stereotyped and racist iconography, commonly used in Europe during the 18th century to justify colonialism.

This room still contains its original Axminster carpet, designed to echo the design of the ceiling above. This, too, contains musical motifs, such as lyres.

The large classical landscapes on the walls were painted by the Zucchi in 1771. Two of the paintings feature gatherings of musicians – perhaps in homage to Apollo and Marsyas.